UN calls on Taliban to end public executions, lashings and stonings in Afghanistan

The United Nations slammed the Taliban on May 8 for continuing its use of public executions, lashings and stonings since taking control of Afghanistan nearly two years ago.

According to a report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, 274 men, 58 women and two boys have been publicly flogged in Afghanistan over the past six months. Most punishments were in connection with convictions of adultery and running away from home. Other alleged offenses included theft, homosexuality, consuming alcohol, fraud and drug trafficking.

The UN has called on the Taliban to immediately suspend its executions, Fox News reports.

"Corporal punishment is a violation of the Convention against Torture and must cease," UN Human Rights Chief Fiona Frazer said.

The Taliban foreign ministry responded by saying Afghanistan’s laws are made in accordance with Islamic rules and guidelines, and that an overwhelming majority of Afghans follow the rules, according to The Associated Press.

"In the event of a conflict between international human rights law and Islamic law, the government is obliged to follow the Islamic law," the ministry said in a statement.

The Taliban began carrying out these punishments after gaining power in the country in 2021. The terror group had initially committed to a more moderate rule compared to their previous time in power in the 1990s.

The leaders have also gradually tightened restrictions on women, banning them from public places like parks and gyms in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic law. The restrictions have prompted international outrage, leading to the country’s increased isolation amid a collapsed economy and worsening humanitarian crisis.

Monday's U.N. report details the Taliban's practices before and after their ascend to power two years ago when they seized the capital of Kabul as US and NATO forces withdrew after a 20-year war.

UNAMA documented at least 182 incidents in which the Taliban carried out its own sentences during the height of its insurgency between 2010 and August 2021. This led to 213 deaths and 64 injuries.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called the Taliban's ban on women working an unacceptable violation of Afghan human rights.